Articles

Even when he was a child, hotels cast a spell over him. "I remember all the times going with my father for meals at the Oriental. I loved the hospitality and got to know the staff. It really felt like family." […]

For many, these family-run conglomerates evolved from small concerns to billion-dollar behemoths. But as the stakes get higher, the conflicts get uglier... […]

Family businesses in many of Asia's emerging markets (EMs) have long spearheaded economic development by being better providers of public goods than local governments... […]

A large proportion of family firms however come under the category of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). In this sector firms tend to be characterised by the dominance of the founder or leader and a shortage of specialist managers with decision-making often highly centralised and driven by the intuition of the founder or the leader. […]

Think socks, and think of the nasal voice of the quintessential overbearing mom of the 90s ad, crooning –“Beta, sweater pehno.” Socks were plastered on you when your mum was perhaps freezing, even reduced to a weapon to combat the funk in your feet. The little girl in me who carefully picked out the perfect pair with upturned umbrella laces for her birthday outfit even watched on in horror, when socks were forced to go undercover as ankle-length bootkins, rolling in the deep (of the shoe). Anusha Jain, a Delhi-based fashionista who was studying the subject in-depth, couldn’t fathom why our socks would be anything but covered in artistic explosions of colours, figures and fabrics. […]

Family businesses can disregard change only at their own peril. Given that most family businesses are small-scale, and operate within a limited environment, change often passes them by. […]

Respect for the past, and values passed down from generation to generation provide family businesses with a base for innovation and success – says Dr. Adrianna Lewandowska, President of the Family Business Institute […]

At a business conference, a renowned industrialist was once asked, China has seen massive progress, so should India follow China? In response, the industrialist said that the Chinese are the workers of the world. Why should we follow their path? On the face of it, this seems like hyperbole. China is ahead of India in almost all development and economic indicators. One would have thought India would do very well if it were to emulate the Chinese success story. But when the industrialist was further probed, if not China, then who? The reply was: We should follow Mahatma Gandhi. […]

Next-generation members of family businesses are increasingly recognising the importance of installing outsiders in senior roles, according to a report. […]

Family-owned businesses were the norm in Old Economy—children or descendents simply inherited their family’s businesses and professions - from politics to medicine. The age-old practice was so mater-of-fact and popular that some educational institutions, like the Ahmedabad University, even offered a study of “family business” as part of curriculum to students. […]

The next generation of family business leaders are well prepared, confident, and above all they have great ambition - both for themselves and for their firms. 88% want to do something special with the business, not just bigger and stronger, but more international, more diversified and more modern. […]

Who in their right mind would invest in the British steel industry? […]

One of the constant refrains we get to hear from heads of business families nowadays is that there is no 'fun' in the business anymore, or to put it more colloquially, 'Ab dhandhe mein pehle jaisa majja nahin raha'. […]

In these times when ‘crony capitalism’ and ‘suit boot ki sarkar’ are terms that are easily bandied about, it is a common perception that business is all about greed, and businessmen are a selfish lot, looting the rest of us to fill their own coffers. I beg to differ. I contend that business is as noble an endeavour as any, and is, in fact, social work. […]

Having been focused on Family Business all my working life, I take a great deal of interest in not only the Business side of these enterprises but also the Family side. […]

At times, some Family Managed Businesses (FMBs) hesitate to acknowledge that they are so. They would prefer to present themselves as a professionally run company as if FMBs can’t be professionally run. […]

Multiple fold growth over the last few decades has spurred the aspirations of businesses owned and run by families in India. The next […]

Heirs of some of India's biggest tycoons are not joining the family businesses yet. They prefer to first chart their own entrepreneurial path […]

Burjis Godrej, the customer support Asian development specialist at Conservis has a surname that surely makes people ask him if he is related to the Godrej family, the one that owns the Godrej Industries. He is, in fact, the son of Nadir Godrej (MD, Godrej Industries) […]

Thanks to a family-owned-business, Aditya Bagri did not have to go by a unenviable grind of a pursuit seeker to launch his career. But that does […]

We will now take it to the next level and target the sports nutrition […]

If the family-run set-up typifies Indian business, its future is in good hands. The next generation is infusing new entrepreneurial energy to take their firms to greater heights. […]

Family managed businesses are the ‘unsung heroes’ of the Indian economy: Adi Godrej […]

Mumbai University in world top 10 for billionaire alumni. Mumbai University, it turns out, has produced more billionaires than IITs... […]